Editor’s Introduction:
Brand Management
Francesca Dall’Olmo Riley
IntroductionThe study of brands and brand management has historically attracted a great deal of interest among practitioners and academics. Early, seminal research on brands includes the studies by Gardner and Levy (1955), Levy (1959), Martineau (1959) and Allison and Uhl (1964).

Since then, the number of brand related journal articles and of brand management books have increased exponentially, particularly in the last 20 years. Two academic Journals (the Journal of Brand Management and the Journal of Product and Brand Management) are entirely devoted to the study of brands. In addition, a number of special issues have focused on specific topics in branding, for instance the Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing (2007) Special Issue on Branding in Industrial Markets, the European Journal of Marketing (2003) Special Issue on Corporate and Service Brands and the Journal of Marketing (1994) Special Issue on Brand Management. Moreover, most marketing and consumer behaviour conferences include a „branding‟ or „brand management‟ track. There are also frequent specialist conferences (e.g. the annual „Thought Leaders International Conference on Brand Management‟) and a number of Special Interest Groups (e.g. the Academy of Marketing‟s Brand Identity and Corporate Reputation Special Interest Group). The sheer amount of brand related literature published in the last fifty years in a variety of journals, books and conference proceedings, on a large array of issues and topics, can be overwhelming for brand researchers. The articles chosen for this fourvolume collection aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of brand related research, featuring the scholarly debates on a number of still unresolved issues and the contemporary challenges faced by brands and by their managers. Before describing the content of the four volumes and explaining the rationale for selecting each of the articles in the collection, this Introduction will present a general overview of the main unresolved issues in brand management research and the ensuing challenges for academic researchers and practitioners. The starting point is necessarily the debate related to the fundamental question of „what is a brand‟ and the definition of „the brand‟ construct. The examination of what a brand is or, more importantly, how it is understood, is related to different perspectives on the construct of „brand equity‟ and to the diverging standpoints on brand management. The contemporary challenges faced by brands and brand managers are also discussed. Unresolved Issues in Brand Management

A theory of „the brand‟?Although, as Keller (2006:260) notes, “much progress has been made”, de Chernatony and Dall‟Olmo Riley‟s (1998a:417) observation that “a theory of the brand remains missing” still holds true today, particularly with regards to: 

Whether a „romantic‟ or a „realist‟ standpoint on brands and their management should prevail.

There is wide disagreement amongst researchers in all of the above areas. Defining „the brand‟ construct.There is no universally accepted definition of the brand construct. The American Marketing Association‟s (AMA) 1960 definition of the brand as a „name, term, sign, symbol, or design or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors‟ is widely cited, particularly in the academic literature and textbooks originating from North America (e.g. Aaker, 1991; Keller, 1993 and 2008; Kotler and Armstrong, 2007). Interestingly, with few exceptions (e.g. Ewing et...

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...that is already defined by the market but not entirely. As a result, the brand image of Chilean wine is not consistent to the brand identity MontGras has for its Chilean wines. MontGras need something to increase brand awareness in another direction outside of just price. Interbrand’s proposed positioning, “Wines of Chile”, would be a positive step in the right direction for Chilean wine makers. In addition to Interband’s proposed positioning, the case describes ways in which Chilevid members have focused the positioning of their wines through international fairs, wine-tastings events, and contests. By designing an image to occupy that distinctive place in the mind of the consumer there is room to educate through some of the previous mentioned initiatives and additional concepts that expand the value added benefits of Chilean wine and particularly MontGras wine throughout the world.
What implications does this have for marketing strategy?
The overall marketing positioning strategy at MontGras is to produce high quality fine wines. This unfortunately is contrary to consumer beliefs in previous years. For the past few decades Chile’s wine market was defined as producing low-quality wine. At the moment there is little brand awareness regarding Chilean wines. The only thing people can relate to this wine region is value and price. The implications resulting from the country-of-origin effect on brand...

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Brand Extensions |
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Lili Korcok |
3/2/2012 |
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The Calcium Rich Tums brand has an assortment of products currently under the brand name Tums. The product extensions under the Tums brand name are: Tums Regular Strength, Tums Extra Strength 750, Tums Ultra Strength 1000, Tums Smoothies Extra Strength 750, Tums Extra Strength 750 Sugar Free, Tums Freshers, Tums Dual Action and Tums Kids. The Tumsbrand positioning is that of heart burn relief on contact that is also rich in calcium. They have an assortment of different brand extensions giving customers a variety of fast acting heart burn relief to choose from under the Tums brand name. Brand extension could go into a multi-vitamin, or calcium-enriched drinks. Another brand extension for children could be character heating pad to help a sick “Tum-ee.”
The Dell brand offers an array of different product extensions under the brand name including Solutions, Services, Systems, Printers, Software, Accessories and Tech support to customers. The brand positioning of Dell is of personalized computers, laptops, and all the products to and services to go along with them. The Dell slogan is “The power to do more.” which goes along with the brand positioning in the sense that Dell offers everything needed to give the customer...

...[pic]– Verb - to talk informally with another or others; exchange views, opinions, etc., by talking.
MARKET
Brand share 2007
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Past seven years have seen a decline in the footwear market as the popularity of cheaper “low performance” wear increases (sector includes Converse) although there is a lack of more recent data available. However, during the economic downturn even the “low performance” segment has struggled.
From 2003 to 2004, the market for athletic apparel and footwear grew by almost $7.5 billion, 12% Between 2004 and 2005, however, it grew by less than $4 billion; in percentage terms, the 6% growth was only half as high as growth a year earlier. Furthermore, in 2007, global footwear sales reached $44.4 billion, a mere 2% increase from 2006. Much of this slow down is because of weakened consumer spending But also the rise in popularity of low-performance footwear. This may have propped up Nike who managed better than most competitors, as the company's footwear sales increased 9% during Q1 2009
Break down of footwear market – low performance includes Converse
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For many years this has been good news for Converse, but recently they have also seen marked slow down (although still in growth)
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Women’s and youths footwear is especially affected by decline
Women's footwear is struggling just like many other retail apparel sectors. While it might be tempting to assume that women and shoes are “recession proof,” this...

...HEADPHONE BRANDS: Points of Parities and Disparities
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Points of Parities
Under this title, it is needed to consider what a headphones brand has to have in order to be considered as a legitimate competitor in its specific category.
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Points of Disparities
Sennheiser
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...Brand Positioning of COACH
Positioning Statement
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...to the PC distribution business and the firm won several new contracts, including one to distribute HP PCs in China in 1989, NTD was renamed Legend Computer Company. Legend Computer Company keep up their reputation by came up with their own brand PC and become pioneered the home computer in China, then turn into the world’s fifth-largest manufacturer of motherboards in 1995.
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However the intense in economic growth also increased domestic competitions which lead Legend to consider more on growing global opportunity. In 2004, the company found that the Legend name was already a registered trademark in several Western countries and searched for a new name to use outside China. The firm prepared for international expansion with the announcement of the new Lenovo name and logo. The name was easy to pronounce in many languages and available for brand registration in major markets while retaining the original Chinese name for use in the home market.
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...note: Dennis Crowley is president and CEO of Brand Engineers, a Teaneck, N.J., research firm. He can be reached at 201-530-5360. This article appeared in the March 28, 2011, edition of Quirk’s e-newsletter.
conic brands are in the enviable position of having developed long, meaningful emotional bonds with consumers. However, like in any lasting relationship, you have to constantly work on adapting to change as you grow. Every marketer plans to have theirbrand and target audience evolve together; unfortunately this is often not a reality. As in the case of Old Spice, which I will examine shortly, the longterm survival of many brands depends on their ability to rejuvenate itself and make themselves relevant to new target audiences. So, how exactly do you take a brand that most people associate with their grandparents and reinvent it for a new, younger audience? When considering repositioning a brand, brand managers must ensure that the new positioning meets three criteria: 1) it must be relevant to the customer’s frame of reference; 2) the brand must have the customer’s permission for the new positioning; and 3) ultimately the brand must deliver on the promise of the positioning. Zone of credibility To develop the most effective positioning, marketers must first look at the functional and emotional needs of the target customers, as well as the...

...Adidas: Brand Case Study
Company Background:
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Updated Financials:
Here is a breakdown of the financials of Adidas for the last 5 years (broken down by millions of Euros):
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Net Sales
10,799
10,381
11,990
13,322
14,883
Gross Profit
5,256
4,712
5,730
6,329
7,103
Gross Margin
48.7%
45.4%
47.8%
47.5%
47.7%
Brand Equity Strategies:
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